ENGLAND PLAYER RATINGS: Who scored 4/10 after putting in very poor display? Which player 'went AWOL' and whose sudden decline made them look a 'shadow'?

England failed to take a commanding lead at the top of Group C on Thursday afternoon after Gareth Southgate's side succumbed to a disappointing 1-1 draw against Denmark in Frankfurt. 

Though the Three Lions will stay top of the standings, a victory would have seen them seize a berth in the knockout stages of the tournament. It seems Southgate's side still have some work to do. 

Harry Kane gave England the lead in the opening 20 minutes of the match, in what was a dream start for the Three Lions. Kyle Walker's deflected cross ricocheted off several Danish defenders before it fell to the England captain, who took great delight in tapping in his first goal at Euro 2024. 

A lapse in concentration in defence would see England fail to shut down Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who fired a long-range effort past Jordan Pickford to pull a goal back for Kasper Hjulmand's side before half-time. 

In the second half, England struggled for creativity and were unable to find a winner, with Denmark, eager to press, giving Southgate's side a few late scares. Mail Sport's CRAIG HOPE delivers his player ratings from Deutsche Bank Park.

ENGLAND (4-2-3-1) 

Jordan Pickford 6

Had to make lots of saves given how often Denmark were afforded the ball, but most of them were routine. 

Will maybe wonder if he could have got down to keep out Denmark goal from 25 yards. He’s not to blame for this dismal showing, however.

Kyle Walker 6

Credit for his awareness in making the steal from a sleeping opponent before creating Kane’s goal with a deflected cross, but he did not get forward nowhere near as much as he should and can. He had a shaky start and needed a change of boots, and he was OK defensively.

John Stones 6

We did not see any of the ball-playing ability he showcases for Manchester City, but maybe that was because if he stepped into midfield he would have been met with his own midfielders on his toes! He was pinned in by own team at times and had to worry more about what was coming at him from those in red.

Marc Guehi 6

He had done well but then almost ruined a steady display with a slip to allow Bah to run clear. He recovered to make the tackle, but as much because the Denmark forward was slow. He then lost his man from the resulting corner. Those moments apart, he can be satisfied enough.

Kieran Trippier 6.5

England needed him with a couple of big interventions in the moments after Kane’s goal. He played most of the game without anyone in front of him either, given how much Foden vacated his position on the left. A solid showing on and off the ball and just about England’s best - even if that was the best of a bad bunch.

Declan Rice 4.5

Will not be happy by the manner in which he lost the ball on several occasions. At one point he blamed Bellingham for not offering an option, but Rice needs to look closer to home. By his standards, this was a very poor performance, and it looked like he knew it.

Trent Alexander-Arnold 4

This must be the end of the midfield experiment. You can’t blame the player, he’s not a midfielder! He was hooked after 54 minutes after a performance in which he gave the ball away far too often and went AWOL as Denmark took control. His head was clearly gone after half-time.

Bukayo Saka 5

Nowhere near the level of danger he posed against Serbia. He did not play badly, but nor did he do much good. With plenty of alternatives in wide areas, he has to do more than this. Like others, his energy in the press to disturb the Danes was not there.

Jude Bellingham 5

From Roy of the Rovers to Doncaster Rovers, the man-of-the-match from Serbia was a shadow of the star from Sunday. He didn’t win his duels and was all too rarely on the ball. When he did have it he kept onto it for too long and did not populate the box like he did in the opening game. He did well not to be substituted.

Phil Foden 6

Out of position on the left wing, again, every time he impacted it was when drifting inside, at times even right of centre in midfield. He had good moments, two good runs followed by poor finishes and another when he cracked post, but he cannot continue in a position he does not want to play. It’s detrimental to the team.

Harry Kane 4.5

Right place to pounce for opener but then gifted possession to Danes for equaliser with baffling cross-field ball - he did not look where it was going. Dropped so deep but was unable to press opponents. Looked off it, like against Serbia, and was rightly withdrawn when impact had waned to zero.

Substitutes

Conor Gallagher (on for Alexander-Arnold, 54) 5.5

Eberechi Eze (on for Foden 69) 5

Jarrod Bowen (on for Saka 69) 5

Ollie Watkins (on for Kane 69) 5

Manager - Gareth Southgate 4

Wasn’t this performance everything for which Southgate has been criticised? A team packed full of attacking talent taking the lead and then retreating so deep to invite pressure and an inevitable equaliser. 

He had no answers - his four changes did not work - and the manager best wear a crash helmet during the fallout from this dismal display.